


Pale Moonlight

by tjstar



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Childhood Friends, Established Relationship, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kissing, M/M, Road Trips, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:40:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28667130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjstar/pseuds/tjstar
Summary: “I don’t think I’m gonna change my last name,” Tyler says. “I mean… Your last name is good, Josh, but I’m like. Kinda used to be Joseph.”Josh nods.“Same. Me too. Kinda used to be Dun.”
Relationships: Josh Dun/Tyler Joseph
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	Pale Moonlight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pantaloonwarrior](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pantaloonwarrior/gifts).



> this is a fic for my good friend pantaloonwarrior!! <3 love you so much dude, love your blogs, your fics and your passion! i feel like i’ve already said that, but! i’m so happy to be your friend <3  
> HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

“I’m gonna be filming a wedding for free. This is the rock bottom.”

Tyler sinks deeper into his seat, leaving Mark alone with his grudges. 

“Climbing up your career ladder,” Josh says. Josh’s optimism is the only thing that keeps them going —

“I hate both of you.” 

There’s no anger in Mark’s voice though, just tiredness. He stares at the road.

“You love us,” Tyler teases him. “Your resting bitch face can’t lie.”

Mark glares at him at the rear view mirror. Tyler gives him a thumb up. 

They’ve been on the road for five hours non-stop and Mark’s GPS has been trying to push them the wrong way all the time. So Mark’s frustration is not that unreasonable; giving a ride to your _Ohio_ childhood friends who are gonna get married in _Vermont_ takes a lot of strength. And a lot of Tyler’s nerves. All the gas stops look the same, the road signs are different, but they’ve gotten mixed up into an unreadable chaos. 

Tyler was eight when he said he loved Josh. And Josh said _wow, same._ Tyler was dumb enough to run to his mother and tell her _Josh and I love each other,_ and she froze with her mouth agape. Then there was a tough conversation with his father, a _play with that girl from the opposite house instead._ They made him believe he didn’t know what love was. 

They were ten when Josh kissed him on the cheek. They were eleven when they told Mark about their _thing,_ and Tyler will never forget Mark’s interested glance and his _aw,_ _this is what friendship is._

This is what friendship was, is, or will always be — this is a relationship their parents never believed in.

They were fifteen when same sex marriages got officially banned in Ohio* and their parents were about to host a celebration, because _we have a chance to make our sons normal again._ Tyler had to sneak out of his window in the middle of the night just to make it to Josh’s parents’ house down the street, just to make it into Josh’s room and spend a few hours together before their parents would get mad. Getting grounded all the time was their second religion. Tyler had to pray for forgiveness every Sunday at church. 

They were sixteen when Tyler kissed Josh on the mouth; they were seventeen when Tyler’s father threatened to throw Josh off their front porch and they were eighteen when Tyler’s father actually did so;

They’re twenty-one now, traveling to the town in a gay-friendly Vermont to get their marriage license while their parents are getting lost in their frenzy.

“We can’t even have sex in Ohio,” Tyler complains. “I feel like our church’s pastor is gonna pop up from underneath my mattress and take me straight to Hell for my sins or something.”

Josh slaps his thigh slightly.

“Masturbation is not a sin.”

“Tell this to our pastor.”

Mark honks even though there are no cars nearby.

“Please, stop. It’s getting awkward.”

“It’s always been,” Tyler grabs at Josh’s wrist when his hand slides up and _up_ freely.

“I said _please,”_ Mark points out. “Now I’m gonna resort to drastic measures. Shut up.”

Mark is a good friend but his sense of humor is specific; after knowing him for nearly his whole life, Tyler got used to his quirks. He’s probably just missing his cats, all three of them. He has a van, he’s not living with his parents anymore, unlike Josh and Tyler himself. 

“Don’t be sad, we’ll pair you up with somebody,” Josh promises.

Mark hits the brakes so harshly Tyler almost smashes his face against the driver’s seat.

*** 

Soft kissing in the backseat might turn to a full-blown make-out session, but their driver’s presence kind of kills Tyler’s mood. 

“Sometimes I wonder who even proposed first,” Mark backs his shoulders with a crack. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be driving my two best friends to nowhere for them to finally get laid. See? Now I sound like a good guy.”

Tyler’s lips are swelling, Josh’s hand around his shoulders is hot and strong, Tyler’s fingers tangle in Josh’s messy curls. He has to get off of Josh’s hips for Mark not to lose the tracking. 

He _is_ a good guy.

So he was the first to know that Tyler and Josh decided to get married in March. Mark only said _finally._ And both of Tyler and Josh’s families said _no, you’re not doing anything Like That while you’re living in our houses —_

Too many tears are shed, too many profanities are said out loud. Maybe their parents are going to accept their choices one day, maybe not. And Tyler’s head is clouded with all the wrongs and the rights, with all the assumptions and not-so-bright-thoughts. Josh is his significant one, all the problems seem to disappear when Tyler hangs out with him, when Tyler spills his heart out for him. The day when they proposed to each other was just a regular one when they’d been playing video games all night, and then Josh chewed on the inside of his cheek and muttered _marry me, Tyler._ Tyler’s heart stopped back then, he said _yes_ even though this was not even a question, he died and got back to life again. 

They kissed like never before.

Every time is special.

So, when Mark asks them who proposed again, Tyler responds with a —

“It was our common decision.”

*** 

Tyler’s hands are shaking when he’s signing the papers and Josh keeps tormenting his lip between his teeth all the time they spend at the clerk’s office. The man looks at them thoughtfully, checking their IDs and birth certificates at least four times because y _ou guys look so young, I just need to make sure you’re at least eighteen._ They’re dressed in white shirts and vests they wore for their prom in high school. The ties are the same too, old, but they don’t belong to their fathers, at least. 

“I don’t think I’m gonna change my last name,” Tyler says. “I mean… Your last name is good, Josh, but I’m like. Kinda used to be Joseph.”

Josh nods.

“Same. Me too. Kinda used to be Dun.” 

Tyler can’t believe they’re finally doing this.

Their signatures look messy, but this is a good kind of mess — their lives are about to get tangled together just like inky doodles on the white sheets of paper. Josh’s hand slips into Tyler’s, he gives him a look that makes Tyler feel this tingling in his lower stomach. 

_They’re getting married._

And then Tyler grabs Josh by the front of his vest, his tie is screwed up already; Tyler kisses him, deep and passionate, as hard as he can so Josh stumbles backwards and nearly throws all the papers off the table. Josh gets a hold onto the edge, and Tyler’s holding onto him, combing his fingers through Josh’s hair while their lips are glued together. 

“Wait, wait,” Josh pushes him away softly, his hands stop on Tyler’s sides. “Wait.”

“Oh.”

They’re still not alone, the clerk stares at them as if they’re local performers. Dang these raging hormones, Tyler finds himself squeezed in between Josh’s thighs while he’s sitting on the table. Josh’s smile is wide and toothy, and the corner of Tyler’s mouth jerks upwards.

“I’m glad to witness the signs of true love right there,” the clerk says. 

Tyler chuckles.

“Sorry.”

There’s one more thing they’ve never done before due to their upbringing. 

*** 

Their wedding ceremony is a bit odd since there are no guests except Mark and his camera. The officiant doesn’t seem to get bothered with it, because well, they don’t have any friends there anyway. They’re just broke newlyweds with their sincere vows. Tyler’s heart is fluttering in anticipation. They’re hosting the ceremony in a small open cafe on the outskirts of the town, there’s too much white color on the fancy fences and on the railings they’re standing against. This is it, this is the moment of truth, and the only thing Tyler is fascinated with is Josh’s almond-shaped eyes. Tyler doesn’t even listen to all the boring and standard phrases, saying —

“I do,” when it’s the time.

He looks into Josh’s eyes, he holds Josh’s hands, and Josh replies —

“I do.”

And the black rings decorate their fingers now, so cheap but so important and dear to their hearts. Mark takes pictures from different angles and Tyler tries to straighten his back not to look like a question mark. 

They’re doing a small photoshoot later; all these _turn left, no turn right, show me a hungry tiger, Tyler._ Josh laughs at Mark’s commands and Tyler laughs too because this is what you get when your friend is a freelance photographer. He’s a pro, not that noticeable in his black shirt and his black bowtie.

Their poses are awkward, but Mark says they look natural.

“And now imagine that you’ve had your wedding night already.”

Tyler gives Josh a puzzled glance. Josh ruffles Tyler’s hair and makes him unbutton the top two buttons on his shirt, as white as everything here. He’s probably too pure to look sexy, just like Josh, but Josh’s smirk proves him wrong. Mark takes a few more shots, Tyler’s face hurts from looking seducing. Josh’s beard is neatly trimmed, Tyler keeps touching his cheek, he simply can’t get enough of this contact. 

They laugh again when it’s over — they’re definitely gonna get this picture framed.

“Well done,” Mark smiles as he packs the camera back into a case. 

This state has a big heart, so maybe they’re gonna get a job and rent an apartment here one day.

But their motel room awaits. 

*** 

They don’t make it to the motel, of course, stopping by the bar. 

“Let’s celebrate for real!” Mark exclaims. “We gotta make this night unforgettable.”

All of them are still wearing their best clothes as they step inside — this is not even a gay bar, and Tyler is so nervous and married, and Josh’s shoulder is his only support. This place is full of neon lights, the music is loud and intoxicating; they occupy the table and order the drinks —

“I need your IDs,” the bartender says firmly. 

Tyler is about to rub his ID into this dude’s face.

“Fake one,” he shrugs.

Tyler groans.

“Come on, I’m twenty-one already.”

His glass remains empty. 

Josh tries to help him, but the bartender’s face stays as expressive as a rock when he offers him to get soda drinks instead. Mark taps his fingers on the table and says —

“We’re far too young to drink, it seems. Need to find somebody _old_ then.”

Tyler wrinkles up his nose.

“Are you sure?”

Being raised in such homophobic family has left the seeds of doubt in his soul, and the rings on their fingers can’t be second guesses. 

But Mark is determined to get wasted today.

It takes ten more minutes for them to befriend a half of this bar, taking pictures with their newfound companions, and _yes we are legal to drink._ One more married couple in mid-forties looks at them lovingly, and the woman offers to buy them cocktails; her husband seems to be amazed seeing such young-looking newlyweds.

Their company grows bigger as the night passes by; people in the bar seem impossibly friendly, the news about the two guys celebrating their wedding there spreads around. Tyler is not used to attention, but they chant _kiss! kiss! kiss!_ and he caves, locking his arms around Josh’s waist and smiling, reflecting Josh’s satisfied grin; Josh uses his tongue, and Tyler drowns in shivers. Every kiss is their first one, their new one, their touches are careful since they’re being constantly watched. 

Tyler catches a glimpse of Mark, his camera covers his face, he’s sneaking around too fast for Tyler’s drunken mind. His chest slumps into Josh’s, their lips connect once more and all the surroundings turn to the kaleidoscope in Tyler’s eyes. 

Or maybe this is just happiness.

They sing shitty pop songs in karaoke, and Tyler’s being so philosophical when the shots of whiskey appear in front of him again.

“I don’t want to _fight_ for my rights, I just wanna _have_ my rights, am I right?”

There’s a silence, filling up with shouts.

“This calls for a toast.”

“Bottoms up for these Mr. and Mr.!”

“Bottoms up for Joshler!”

Bottoms up, and Tyler’s head rests on Josh’s chest, and Josh’s chin buries in Tyler’s hair as they’re sitting at their table.

“I wanna go to the motel,” Tyler murmurs, closing his eyes. 

And Josh is up to his feet instantly, and their newfound friends wish them all the best things, and this moment is magical.

They’re dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight while they’re waiting for a taxi; the stars cast their soft gleaming onto Josh’s skin, Josh is an alien and Tyler wants him to take him to his planet. When the car arrives, they get into the backseat together, Tyler leans to Josh’s touch and there’s a full bottle of whiskey in Tyler’s lap, and there’s Mark in the front seat, winking back and Tyler and mouthing —

“Just don’t be loud.”

*** 

Shoes off, shirts off, they fall onto the bed. 

Kissing, smiling and whispering nonsense into each other’s ears they hug, legs tangled together as the lights flicker inside the bulbs. Tyler doesn’t want this intimacy to get shattered.

“What are we allowed to do now?”

“Everything, my man.”

Josh takes a gulp of whiskey straight from the bottleneck.

They don’t actually want to bother Mark anymore — let the dude live his own life in the next room, really. He’s been the one to maintain the whole thing anyway. But this moment is only shared by Tyler and his _husband_ Josh, and Tyler starts straight from the obvious thing. 

“We’re both virgins, what a lucky coincidence.”

“We’re gonna fix this right about now.” 

Josh’s chuckle is as soft as his smile. Tyler takes the bottle from his hands, sucking on a bottleneck as he drinks — Josh’s eyes widen, Tyler slips closer and closer until Josh’s chin nuzzles his jaw, and then there’s a kiss. Alcohol burns its way down Tyler’s throat, and Josh’s lips work miracles against Tyler’s Adam’s apple, the skin is strained between Josh’s teeth. 

“I like it,” Tyler whispers. 

Light biting is the response. 

“I don’t know how to do this,” Josh pants, hands loosen Tyler’s belt. “We need to gain some experience.”

This is it, Tyler realizes — they’ve never talked about it before; he’s been dreaming about having sex with Josh, this is a natural thing, but he was just jerking off thinking of this, so he doubts it counts. Josh reaches for the TV remote and Tyler goes to turn the annoying lights off.

This makes him feel free. 

There’s that 18+ rated channel, and Josh’s peering into the screen where two men are doing impossible things, their bodies tied in knots of lust; Tyler’s cheeks heat up when he sees a bare ass and then another one. 

He and Josh have never seen each other naked. 

Josh keeps watching, and wet sounds and moans get stuck in Tyler’s head; he’s seen his first porn magazine when he just turned sixteen and that fuckboy from his school brought this printed out sin to the class. It was something about naked girls and their partners, and Tyler was afraid to look into Josh’s eyes after turning the pages. 

Now he can turn Josh’s page. 

“I think I’d be a top,” Tyler flops down onto the pillows.

“I’d let you do whatever you want, because I love you,” Josh says, pulling Tyler closer. 

Tyler might be egoistic. 

The _act_ on the screen continues, the dudes are not gonna stop; Tyler is a little envious and a lot uncomfortable. One of the dudes has a blonde mohawk and another one has a huge veiny cock; Tyler can’t figure out what is more noticeable. 

Josh unzips his pants. 

Tyler doesn’t need any other distraction so he turns the TV off.

“I think it’s better this way.”

And he takes a gulp of whiskey. 

And Josh does the same. 

“It felt like prying into their private life. Shitty scenario,” he washes his words down with alcohol straight after. 

Tyler is stressed out, and Josh’s body looks way too appealing; the only source of light is the faint rays coming from the neon signs outside. Tyler’s breathing fastens, Josh’s hand sneaks under his shirt, caressing his nipples, making them hard, making him hard, and Tyler is so drunk and happy he can barely feel the mattress underneath his back.

He only turns to his side to take one more sip to get braver.

He wants to do this for Josh too, Josh’s beard is scratchy against his skin, and Tyler’s hand cups at Josh’s groin. Josh laughs and squeezes his thighs together, batting Tyler’s hand away.

“I’m way too ticklish, man,” Josh gasps and rolls his pants down his thighs. 

Josh’s moves are funny and haste, he nearly falls off the bed when he kicks his pants off and gets back to Tyler; Tyler lays on the bed and looks at the ceiling. Everything is spinning in a pleasing motion, Tyler’s head rests on the pillowcase and drowns in feathers. 

“J-josh?”

“I’m here,” Josh is reckless, Tyler is a lightweight. “Do you still want me to?..”

“Yes, please,” Tyler slurs. 

He only needs to blink the blur away. They’re runaways, they’re free and this is their wedding night.

Tyler falls asleep with Josh’s calloused hand down his boxers. 

*** 

Tyler’s neck is all stiffened up when he wakes up. 

He looks around, not quite understanding what’s going on; their wedding, he’s still poorly dressed, and Josh —

Tyler jumps up, but his hangover lays him back down. He’s ashamed, he’s fucked up their first time; Tyler bundles up the blanket and looks at Josh sleeping — his face is pressed into the pillow, he’s not wearing anything except his black boxers, and the freckles on his back is the sexiest thing Tyler has ever seen.

His finger traces down Josh’s spine. 

Josh groans and blinks at him sleepily; his eyes are puffy and his smile is crooked. 

“Morning,” Tyler says. 

Josh’s voice is hoarse. 

“Morning.”

Tyler bites his lips nervously, so fucked up, fucked up and still not fucked. 

“Josh, I’m,” he clears his throat. “I don’t have any problems with… With sex, I was just drunk and sort of… Nervous. I’m sorry.”

He fumbles with his fingers, rubbing his neck which is sore from all the hickeys Josh has left on him. 

“Hey, hey, this is fine.”

Josh sits up next to him, rubs Tyler’s back then hugs him.

“I thought you wanted that night to be special and I just fell asleep,” Tyler says bitterly. 

Josh smiles at him.

“We can do this anytime from now.”

“Like… Right now?”

Tyler’s heart is exploding again.

“Yes.”

This is why they got married — to get older together, not only for getting into each other’s pants. This is what romance is, this is what family life is. Now they’re ready for something more, Tyler leaves bite marks on Josh’s torso, clutching his nipple between his teeth, about to pull his own pants down to get a proper _morning after._

Tyler mentally curses everyone when there’s a gentle knocking on the door. 

“I’m coming,” he stops pressing Josh’s hips to the bed. “Wait a second.”

He tries to straighten his hair with his fingers as he looks at his reflection in the mirror — his neck is red and purple but otherwise he looks _nice._ His pants are still undone, he can’t find the belt and the buttons on his shirt don’t fit into the loops anymore. This is fine.

Tyler opens the door, nearly swiping Mark off his feet.

“Hey,” Tyler adjusts his tie. It’s a miracle he hasn’t choked himself in his sleep.

There’s a gleam of curiosity in Mark’s eyes.

“Hi. How was it?”

Tyler looks over his shoulder; Josh is in the bed, covering himself with the pillow.

“Never better.” 

Mark doesn’t look fresh either; his hair is messy, and his face is tired.

“I won the lottery,” Mark says, then cracks a smile. “Can you believe it? I took a walk in the middle of the night and went to the park and met that guy, and he was like _oh do you want to test your luck?_ And I was like _nope,_ but he seemed cool so he gave me a lotto ticket for free. I thought it was a lie, but then…” he taps his palm on his pocket. “Twenty thousand dollars, all there. You’ve slept for too long.”

He claps his palms and pulls Tyler into a hug. 

“Congrats, man,” Tyler finally lets him in. 

“Now you have money for your wedding trip,” Mark says. “We can cruise all over the states and take fancy pictures. Or, we can go to Vegas…”

“Vegas sounds nice,” Josh says, shocked. 

Mark makes a finger guns gesture. 

“All settled then,” he raises his hands up and disappears behind the door.

The room is still unkempt, and Tyler is still on fire; Josh tosses the pillow away and flops down onto the mattress.

“Okay,” Tyler turns to Josh in the bed behind him and winks. “We just have one more thing to do before we go.”

And they fall in love again.

**Author's Note:**

> it’s like 2010 in this fic so i tried to get the dates right  
> \---  
> i used [this](https://www.usmarriagelaws.com/marriage-license/vermont/city-town-clerks/office-requirements.shtml) site for information  
> \---  
> 1\. On February 6, 2004, Governor Bob Taft signed the bill into law. Ohio's Defense of Marriage Act banned same-sex marriage, along with the "statutory benefits of legal marriage to nonmarital relationships".  
> 2\. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the U.S. state of Vermont since September 1, 2009. (wiki)


End file.
